Toothpaste Kisses
by pullingbeckettspigtails
Summary: Focused on Kate's suspension between 5x01 and 5x02, following how her and Rick become accustomed to the new aspects of their lives together.


_Cradle me_

_I'll cradle you_

_I'll win your heart_

_with a *woowoo*_

_pulling shapes just for your eyes_

_so with toothpaste kisses and lines_

_I'll be yours and you'll be…_

* * *

><p>At first, Rick didn't like the toothpaste kisses.<p>

Not that he would reject any kisses from Kate, after five long years of pining over her small, plump lips with every her word, breath and bite, dreaming of the day where he could finally lean forward and capture them as his own (without suffering serious bodily harm).

In the first few days of her suspension, she spends more or less every morning and night at the Castles/Rodgers residence. The last year or so had caused occasional dark memories in her cold, lonely apartment; the early mornings spent in front of her mirror in the moonlight as the sun refused to make its appearance, her shaking fingers hovering over her newly marred skin, or the nights she would indulge in a few more glasses of alcohol than she'd ever admit to herself the next day, the bottles hastily put in the recycling as soon as she came around, an out of sight, out of mind philosophy emerging. By contrast, she loved the boisterousness of family life that she's been lovingly invited into. The teasing Alexis receives over dinner whenever she so much as mentions a boy's name from her class, the snarky, quick-witted responses shared between mother and son as Martha leaves the loft in a flurry, the four of them making dinner together, each with their own tasks at separate counters, poking each other with spatulas and flicking dish water at unsuspecting faces, laughter erupting through the large loft.

Most mornings, Rick pretends to continue to be asleep when he feels the right side of the mattress dip when his partner carefully sneaks out from under the covers, scurrying over to the ensuite bathroom, closing the lock in slow motion as to not create a sound. Sometimes, he genuinely doesn't wake until she's back in bed, snuggling her now slightly colder frame into his as she breathes in his scent; the musky, warm smell that is distinctly him rapidly becoming her favourite.

When they both are awake once and for all, Castle can't help but notice the small details surrounding the woman in his arms. How her breath is fresh and minty, her hair much neater than how it was left after the previous night's activities, her lips covered in the subtle taste of her cocoa butter lip balm, her legs less prickly than they were when she went to sleep.

Rick tries not to bring up the fact that he knows Kate is leaving their- _his_ (but soon to be theirs, he knows it's inevitable) bed twenty minutes earlier, preening herself before she deems her look presentable. He wants to say that she's beautiful no matter what, with morning breath and knotty hair and smudged mascara and slightly prickly legs. But she's taken so long to open up to him as much as she already has, he's definitely not going to push his luck.

As much as he'd gotten accustomed to the toothpaste kisses, he feels a swell of stupid excitement the first time he kisses her good morning and is able to taste the red wine she enjoyed late into last night, and is determined to kiss every last drop from her mouth, much to both their delight.

* * *

><p>She's never been much of a lounging person. Or at least, the staying in bed until early afternoon type of lounger. Her internal clock seemed to have kicked in at the age of about four (much to the dismay of her parents) and never really modified itself.<p>

She soon finds out that her boyfriend is the exact opposite. Once she leaves the bed for good, murmuring that she needs to _'do_ _something'_, his immediate response is always the same; simple, but touching.

"Lay with me."

Some days she'll gladly agree, sauntering back over to the bed, loving the feel of him grinning into the kiss as he knows he's got his way, his happiness contagious as they lay together contently.

Other days, she'll roll her eyes, taunting Rick with words something along the lines of _'lazy'_ and '_old man'._ The words almost become a catalyst, because before she knows it, he'll be off the mattress, grasping at her bare body, urging her to come back to their warm haven beneath the sheets. He'll effortlessly pick her up as she squirms playfully, squealing as he hauls her into his arms, throwing her back onto the bed. She'd start to rise again, solely to tease him, but he'd cover her body with his, pinning her down to the soft material, creating a make shift cage with his broad form, silencing her protests with his mouth, kissing away her reluctance, feeling her slowly succumb to him, her palms slapping his body lightly to dim down the one thousand watt smug grin that appears across his features, always to no avail.

* * *

><p>During their late nights together, Rick's favourite kisses are the ones that don't amount to anything more.<p>

When he used to imagine their possible relationship, he would think that kisses that _did_ amount to something would be his preference.

The kisses on her collarbone that meandered down her body as he mapped her with precision.

The kisses that turned into nibbles, the gasps that turned into moans.

But he has a special place in his heart for late night kisses with Kate Beckett.

The comforting ones where Kate will lie slightly on top of him and after time, his arm will go numb, but he'll reject it, because he doesn't want either of them to move; doesn't want to break the newfound spell that's bewitched them both.

The happy ones where they're both still slightly fazed that they've made it into each other's arms at last, the novelty never fading over the hours, nights, weeks. It's moments like these that make him grateful that Kate was right, that the bubble won't burst as long as you're in it with the right person.

The sleepy ones where one participant will slowly drift off to sleep, but instead of being offended, the other party will simply migrate their light pecks to other areas of their lover's body until sleep overwhelms them too.

* * *

><p>One day, about two weeks after their first night together, Alexis returns to the loft after a day of shopping with her friends at around 5pm, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as she spots her father and his partner on the coach, walking the thin line between dozing and barely awake, the two still donned in their pyjamas and dressing gowns. The teenager's presence seems to alert them slightly, but Kate doesn't shift anything apart from her gaze, her form still staying close to Rick's, an ode to just how comfortable she feels in their home and their family.<p>

The redhead curiously wonders aloud _"how do you guys not get bored from just laying around all day?". _The couple look knowingly into each other's eyes, and before either of them can answer, Alexis suffices her own answer, suddenly retracting her question, exclaiming _"I don't wanna know!"_ as she retreats up the stairs, the two on the couch rolling their eyes at the young girl's antics, who obviously doesn't understand, never having experienced the intense connection between lovers; the fact that words can be exchanged between almost silent breaths, that the innermost emotions are expressed with a fleeting look that washes over in an instant.

Honestly, Rick and Kate have never experienced it before either, but they're happy to learn.

When Martha sees the two, she simply remarks that they've _"found magic"._

Kate rolls her eyes at the same time that Rick scoffs, but neither make a point to oppose her statement.

When Lanie calls Kate, their casual conversation inevitably turning into the typical _"what have you been doing since we last saw each other" _catch up. Kate answers the ME's inquisitions honestly by saying she's spent most of her days in bed. Lanie immediately squeals and congratulates her, causing a pink tint to rise onto Beckett's cheeks, and she attempts to backpedal and explain to Lanie what she initially meant.

After a long winded speech about feelings and emotion and undeniable love, Lanie only has one question.

_"__But the other bed stuff is just as great, right?" _

The silence on Kate's end of the line tells her everything she needs to know.

But when Kate repeats the question to Lanie about the possibility of a lover, another matching silence tells a similar story.

(Well, that, and she can hear the ever so familiar noises of a football game in the background, and even though it's been a while since she's seen her best friend, she doesn't for a second believe that Lanie's suddenly developed a soft spot for sports, just a soft spot for someone who likes sports.)

* * *

><p>It's not just their mouths kissing that they both enjoy.<p>

It's their feet kissing as Kate comes to bed, warming her frozen toes that seem to be perpetually cold no matter what the weather, their legs intertwining together.

It's their palms kissing when Rick pulls Kate around the loft with childish charm, or on the rare occasions where they venture outside, completely enamoured with the idea of the whole world seeing their love blossoming, even in its early stages.

It's their hips kissing as their passion grows to new heights, accompanied by streams of curses and gasps, neither of them stalling their movements as they eventually fall together effortlessly.

It's their noses kissing when they're too worn out from loving each other so thoroughly (and repeatedly), letting themselves return to steady heart rates and even breaths.

It's their foreheads kissing as they take in the opportunity that they have been presented with to relax in each other's arms; sometimes with background music, or the faint notes of Alexis' violin playing from upstairs, or the street noises from the unimportant outside world, or even just the rhythm of their own mingled breaths being soundtrack enough_._

Because after five years, multiple significant others (they both realise that 'partners' isn't the right word), and countless near-death experiences, they've made it. And they can just _be._

* * *

><p><em>Lay with me, I'll lay with you<em>

_we'll do the things that lovers do_

_put the stars in our eyes_

_and with heart shaped bruises_

_and late night kisses_

_divine_

* * *

><p><strong>This was an experiment for me in trying to write more descriptive fics without much dialogue, and I'd really really appreciate anything you have to say, positive or negative, so please consider leaving a review if you have a spare minute. Thanks a bunch!<strong>

**Lou xo**


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